Star vs the Forces of Mystery
by Twelve-Days-of-Misfortune
Summary: Detective AU. Tom's parents go missing, and Private Investigator Star Butterfly agrees to help him find them. But she'll need some help.
1. An Unexpected Visitor

**Happy New Year! I decided to post a new story to celebrate. Keep in mind that I am not a detective, or a private investigator, so if you don't think it's very detective-ish, that's why. I will try to keep the characters in character, but we'll see what happens. Chapters will be relatively short.**

 **Synopsis: Detective AU, in which Tom's parents go missing and Star agrees to help him find them.**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Pairings: Starco, past-Star/Tom(flashbacks included), One-sided Ostar, One-sided Jarco, and possible Ponyhead/Tom.**

* * *

I've had a long night, Star Butterfly thought as she shed her light blue jacket and plopped down on her bed. She undid her ponytail, and her pretty blonde hair fell around her shoulders. With a yawn, the young woman leaned back and sighed. A sudden clap of thunder startled her, and she sat back up.  
"Hello?" she called into the dark room. The rain fell and the wind blew, making the trees sway. Star yawned, closing her eyes. A knocking sound made her open her eyes again. With a long groan, she dragged herself off of her bed and grabbed her jacket, going to the front door. Opening it, she squinted at the sudden light.  
"Who are you and why are you here?" she snapped.

"Geez, Butterfly, I think you'd recognize your boyfriend."  
Star glared at the figure who was shining a light at her. "Ex-boyfriend. What do you want, Tom?" she asked. The red-eyed man, holding a flashlight, stepped forward, his spiky red hair sticking up in all directions "For once, I actually need your help."  
"What with? Last time you said you needed my help, you nearly led me  
to my death."  
"That was an accident. This is serious."  
Star rubbed at her eyes. "Could you come back tomorrow? I'm tired. Earlier today, I-"  
"My parents are missing," Tom suddenly blurted out. Star fell silent.

"Oh," she said after a long moment, tightening the grip she had on her jacket. She slipped it back on, then grabbed a hair tie and re-did her hair.  
"What happened?"

"I don't know. I was visiting the castle for a... reason, when I found this." He pulled a note out of his pocket. Star stood turned to look around the small room. She grabbed a box and pulled out a pair of plastic gloves. Tom stepped inside and closed the door. She took the paper and read it.

"Looks like a ransom note."  
"I can't believe you noticed. What are you, a detective?"  
"I prefer the term Private Investigator."  
"I was being sarcastic. What about the signature at the bottom?"  
Star yawned. "What about it?"  
"Do you know who it's from?" Tom asked, slightly exasperated. Star blinked.  
"No."  
"I thought you were a detective!"  
"Private Investigator. I don't know who it's from. I do know someone who might."  
They stood there for a moment.  
"Well?" Tom asked. She rolled her eyes. "Let's go find him," she said.  
Star grabbed her umbrella from behind the door and opened it. "You coming?"  
"Of course. Right behind you."  
Star stepped outside and raised her umbrella, pocketing the letter Tom had given her.  
"Hey Tom?" she asked, looking both ways as they crossed the street.  
"Yeah, Butterfly?"  
"If this is another plan to get me to go out with you, you will be having nightmares for weeks."  
"Understood. Where are we going?"

"To a man named Ludo."


	2. A Man Named Ludo

**SonicELITE:** **Glad to hear that! I hope you like this chapter.**

 **EVAunit42:** **I am not entirely sure what you mean by double spacing, but I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.**

 **Tom will not be a jerk in this fanfic.**

 **Probably.**

 **I do not own SVTFOE.**

* * *

"Here we are," Star said, walking up the steps. She shook her umbrella off, then closed it. She rang the doorbell,

and after a minute a light flickered on inside.

"Do you come here often?" Tom asked, looking up at the huge mansion. Star shrugged.

"When I need to."

The door opened to reveal a man who looked quite tired. "Ah, Ms. Star. I shall inform Master Ludo of your arrival."

"Thank you, Toffee."

Tom watched as Toffee ushered them in. He shifted uneasily when he realized that the supposed butler's pointer finger was missing. Star walked into the parlor and sat down, motioning for Tom to do the same.

"How can this 'Ludo' person help us?" he asked. Star looked over the letter. "He can write in several different languages and read several more. If anyone knows who signed this, it's him."

A knock sounded on the parlor door, and Tom and Star turned to see who was there. Tom raised an eyebrow.

Ludo was extremely short. He wore dark colors and had a scowl permanently etched on his face. Tom held back a snort. "This is Ludo?"

"Yes, I am Ludo," the short man said. He walked over and sat down. "It's good to see you again, Star. What are you doing here at 2:30 in the morning?"

"I wish I knew," Star yawned again. "Tom's parents have gone missing. We think they've been kidnapped," she said, sliding the note across the coffee table. Ludo read it.

"I see. Am I correct in assuming that this is Tom DeMon, the crown prince of Derithia?"

"You are correct," Star said. Tom looked like he was about to respond, but Star shot him a look and he fell silent.

"I always am. So why bring the letter to me?"

"The signature at the bottom."

"Oh." Ludo looked at it, and soon the only noise was the rain and the occasional thunderclaps or rustling of paper. Tom shifted into a more comfortable position, running a hand through his red hair. He let out a sigh as the seconds ticked by.

"OS, in Ancient Derithian." Ludo finally mumbled. He looked at Tom.

"Do you know anyone with the letters O and S in their name?"

"No," Tom said. Star shook her head as well.

"Dang it. Well, the next person I'd go to would be Floating Pony Head. She could come up with more ideas."

"Floating Pony Head?" Tom asked. "What kind of a name is that?"

"You'll recognize her," Star said, refolding the letter and placing it back in her jacket pocket.

"You sure?"

"Positive. Let's go. Thanks, Ludo."

"No problem, Star," he said, yawning. They stepped out into the hallway.

"Thanks, Toffee!" Star called as they were walking out the door. Toffee smiled a crooked smile, holding a tray. Ludo walked up next to him.

"She has no idea, does she?"

"Not a clue, sir."

* * *

 **Derithia is a fictional city I made up. It isn't a real place, and I could've used another name, but I didn't.**


	3. Optimistic

**Happy February! Hope your new years have gotten off to great starts!**

 **SonicELITE:** **Okay. Thank you for your support. :)**

 **Spooky Sammy(Guest):** **Thanks. I looked, and the chapter was not in bold as I read it, just the AN.**

 **EVAunit42:** **That's okay, I think I got what you meant and did it. I hope you like this chapter.**

* * *

"Butterfly, who is Floating Pony Head?"

"A friend of mine."

"You said I'd recognize her."

"Yes, I did."

"So who is she?"

"Tom!" Star called, turning to face him in the pale moonlight. The rain had stopped after they'd left Ludo's mansion,

and now there was only a cool breeze.

"What, Butterfly?"

"You need to trust me. Pony Head is a friend. I trust her. You'll know who she is."

Tom frowned. "Fine."

They continued walking in silence, with the occasional car passing them.

"We're here," Star said, stopping in front of a small house. She stepped onto the porch and knocked. There was a crash, and the door opened a crack.

"B-fly?" asked a woman with pink hair. The door swung open fully, and the woman gave Star a quick hug. Tom

spotted a broken vase in the hallway behind her, then looked at the woman.

"Felicity?" he asked in astonishment. The woman turned to face him.

"Tom?" she asked, then looked at Star. "Girl, if you're dating him, that's fine. But if he hurts you again, there ain't gonna be nothing left when I finish with him."

Star looked disgusted. "No. We're here for business. You got a minute?"

"No, it's three-fifteen. What are you doing awake, B-Fly?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Homework."

"Work in general."

"I'd hate to have your job, Star. Seriously. What do you need?"

"Well, Tom's parents are missing, and he got this ransom note. So we went to Ludo to see what it was, and he pointed us in your direction."

"I don't trust that guy, Star. He's shady. Like a St O's reject."

Both girls shuddered. St. O's was short for Saint Olga's, a reform school for girls. Also known as prison.

"Oh, come on, Pony Head, he's not that bad. Plus, he's a guy, so he couldn't have gotten into St. O's anyway. We

have a signature you need to see. Ludo said it was an O and a S in Ancient Derithian. Any ideas?"

"Yeah- get some sleep. And food. I can never think on an empty stomach. Y'all need to eat."

Star yawned. She looked over at Tom.

"It's obvious that we can't do this in one night. We'll have to wait." Tom sighed. "Should we go back to your

place?"  
There was a long pause. Tom groaned. "It wasn't a pickup line."

Star frowned at him.

"Stop taking everything the wrong way!" Tom exclaimed angrily. He paused as Star and Pony Head took a small

step back. "Where are we supposed to sleep tonight? On the street?"

"No, I got a couch and a cot y'all can sleep on."

"Thanks, Pony Head."

Pony Head let them inside. Star sat down. "So why do you call Felicity 'Pony Head'?" Tom asked. Star yawned

again.

"Her full name is Felicity Paula Herold, but she doesn't like it and goes by the name Floating Pony Head."

"Oh." Tom wasn't satisfied, but didn't ask anymore.

There was another period of quiet. Star lay down on the couch.

"Hey Butterfly?" Tom asked.

"What?"

"Do you think my parents are okay?"

"No."

Tom frowned. "You're not very optimistic, are you?"

"Think about it this way: if they are alive, I'll be even happier because I wasn't expecting it. And if they're dead, I

won't be as sad because I saw it coming."

Tom stared at the ceiling. "Oh," he said again.

Another pause.

"G'night, Butterfly."

"Night, Tom."

* * *

 **Well, that chapter could've been better. Stay tuned for more!**

 **I don't own SVTFOE**

 **~Misfortune**


	4. The Story

**Oskar is only mentioned in this chapter, he does not show up.**

 **I lied: Tom will be a jerk in this chapter.**

 **SonicELITE: Honesty is a great thing. Thanks! Also, Marco will show up soon. Very soon. **

**EVAunit42: I'm glad to hear it and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **This used to be two really short chapters, but I combined them. Guess where the first one ends and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing where the first one ends.**

* * *

"B-fly, wake up!" came Pony Head's voice. Star blinked open her eyes.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Tom's gone," Pony Head said, looking over at the cot beside the couch.

"Probably not used to sleeping on a cot," Star said, sitting up. She yawned. "He was the prince, after all."

"Was?" came Tom's voice. Both girls turned to see him leaning in the doorway. He shrugged. "I went for a walk. To maybe clear my mind. Cool down. And last I checked, I still _am_ the prince."

"Hothead," Pony Head muttered. Tom glared at her.

"Ugh. We should just get to business," Star groaned. She looked at Pony Head. "We came to you because Ludo knows that you

know people. Have you ever met anyone with the initials O and S?"

"I know a Oliver Staxnet, and a Otis Sorenson. Anyone y'all recognize?"she asked, looking over at the red-haired prince. Tom

sighed and shook his head.

"Hmm. Well, what about names with O and S in them?"

"All I can think of is..." Tom trailed off, beginning to frown.

"Come on, Butterfly. We're leaving."

He grabbed Star's arm and dragged her to the door.

"Tom, let go!" Star exclaimed, but his grip only tightened.

"B-fly!" Pony Head cried. She glared at Tom. "Let her go!"

"We have to leave," Tom said, opening the door. He dragged Star out the door. Star stumbled, then yanked her arm out of Tom's grip.

"Watch it! It's my job, I'll handle it. Who were you going to drag me to see?" she asked. Tom had a dangerous look in his eyes as he replied.

"Oskar."

After saying goodbye to Pony Head, Tom told Star about this 'Oskar' person.

"He lived in the castle with my family back when I lived there. He's got a record for trying to ruin my family."

"Huh. Where's he live? Where are we going?"

"Back to Derithia."

Star gaped at him. "Seriously?"

"Yes, Butterfly. But we're going to need a flight by tomorrow."

"Why?" Star asked. Tom rolled his eyes. "I thought you read the note."

"Well, obviously, but whoever wrote it-"

"-Oskar-"

"Whatever, whoever wrote the note said we had twelve days."

"Well how long do you think it'll take for me to convince them that I'm the prince?"

"Not long, you've got the birthmark on your wrist." She slid up his sleeve to reveal the mark. Tom stepped away and slid the sleeve back down.

"Do you know how many people have gotten tattoos that look like the birthmark so they can try to get in? It's not a family secret. Everyone knows about it."

"You've got me. I stayed in the castle for a few days, back when you and I were..."

Tom looked at her expectantly, silently daring her to say it. Star glared at him.

"You know."

"No, Butterfly, I don't. What were we?"

"Tom, I'm not answering that question. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Anyway, I can tell the guards who I am. They might let us in. It'll take maybe an hour."

"You obviously know nothing about Derithia's guards. It'll take four days, maybe more."

Star was quiet for a moment.

"So who are we going to get to fly us to Derithia on such short notice?"

"A friend."

"What's their name?"

"Marco Diaz."

* * *

 **There you go. I hope this met your expectations and if not, I'm gonna keep writing it anyway.**

 **I don't own SVTFOE.**


	5. Marco Diaz, Mechanic Extraordinaire

**New chapter! Hoo-rah.**

 **SonicELITE: You got it! I will do my best to do so. :D**

 **EVAunit42: I hope so, but we shall see...  
**

 **I do not own Star vs the Forces of Evil.**

* * *

"Marco?" Tom called as they stepped into a huge garage.

"Over here!" came a muted voice. Tom led Star over to a car.

Underneath the car, Star could see the lower half of a person.

"Marco, it's Tom," Tom said. A man slid out from beneath the car to reveal a tanned man with brown hair. He stood up.

"Ah, Tom. Good to see you. Who's this?" he asked, rubbing oily hands on a towel.

"This is Star Butterfly. She's a detective."

"Ah, Private Investigator," Star corrected. She stuck out her hand. Marco took it and shook it.

"Nice to meet you," Marco said. "How can I help you?"

"We need a ride to Derithia by tomorrow," Tom said. Marco smiled.

"I've got you covered. What's the occasion? Going back to your hometown to show Mariposa the castle?"

"Not quite," Star said. "We're there on business."

"What kind of business?" Marco asked.

"We don't have to tell you," Star said.

"My parents were kidnapped," Tom said. Star glared at him.

"He's a friend, Star. I trust him."

"Yeah, well, I don't trust you. Besides, it's _my_ job."

"Trouble in paradise," Marco muttered. Star snorted.  
"Please. We broke up years ago."

"Maybe I wasn't referring to that," Marco countered.

Tom frowned. "Anyway, we need a ride."

"Come back tomorrow morning; I'll have a plane ready to go."

"A plane? By tomorrow?" Star asked. Marco nodded. "How?"

"I have my ways," he replied. Star shrugged. "Okay," She said. She turned to Tom.

"I'm going home to pack," she said, brushing past him and going outside. "We'll meet here tomorrow at six-thirty."  
With that, she disappeared from sight.

"Fiesty," Marco said with a low whistle. He turned to Tom. "Sorry to hear about your parents. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"The plane is a good start," Tom replied. "Thanks."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow. Hey, do you have a place to sleep?"

"Of course I do. See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

Star entered the garage the next morning, lugging a light blue suitcase behind her. She leaned against the wall.

"You're early," grunted a voice. Star turned to see Marco sliding out from beneath the car he had been working on yesterday.

"You never stop working, do you?" she asked. Marco stood and shrugged, placing a hand on the car's hood. "It was my dad's. He wrecked it. I want to fix it up for his birthday."

"Hmm. When's his birthday?"

"July 8th."

"So you've still got a ways to go."

"Yeah."

"Cool. So, do you have a plane?"

"Yeah. It's on the roof."

"Seriously?"

"No. It's at the airport."

Star lightly punched his shoulder. "You had me going for a second there."  
"I thought you were a detective," Marco said, shoving his hands in his oil-stained red hoodie's pockets.

"Private Investigator, and I said a second. One. Uno."

"I get it," Marco said with a laugh. A new voice joined the conversation.

"Hey, Marco?" came a woman's voice. Marco looked at someone behind them and his face immediately turned red.

"Oh, um, Jackie! Hi," he said awkwardly, looking for a place to put his hands. He aimed for the car but missed, falling to the ground.

"Uh, hi, Marco. Is Lola ready yet?"

"Y-yeah," Marco stuttered, getting to his feet and walking towards a sheet. He smiled, taking it off with flourish.

Beneath the sheet was a blue car with a crunched front. Jackie gasped and Star hid a giggle.

"Marco, you... you painted Lola?!" she asked in disbelief, walking towards the car.

"What? That's not right..." Marco said, looking around.

"And you crashed her, too? I thought we were friends! I thought we..."

"No, no, Jackie! _This_ is Lola!" Marco tried again, taking the sheet off another car, again with flourish. Beneath this one was a sparkling red convertible without a scratch. Jackie turned, and gasped.

"Lola!" she exclaimed. "Marco, she's beautiful!"

"Not as beautiful as you..." Marco murmured.

"What?"

"Ah...uh, nothing! You're beau- I mean, she's..you..."

Marco sighed, averting his gaze as he blushed. Jackie walked over and gave him a hug. Marco sighed again.

"Thanks," she said, then turned away.

"Here are the keys," Star called, tossing a pair of keys to Jackie, who caught them.

"Thanks. Wait, you don't work here. How'd you know?" she asked.

"The gold key has the name "Lola" inscribed on it. The rest was just common sense."

Jackie smiled, then opened the car door and got in. Marco walked away, muttering under his breath about 'friend zones' and 'phase nine'.

"He likes you, you know," Star said, walking over.

"Who does?" Jackie asked, starting Lola. Star giggled. "Marco does. It doesn't take a genius to see that."

"Oh." Suddenly Jackie looked uncomfortable. "He's...er, cute, but I'd only see him as a brother, if anything." She smiled sympathetically in the direction Marco had gone, then began to leave.

"Thank him again for me. See ya!"

Star waved as Jackie drove away. She turned to see Marco, who was watching Jackie leave with a dreamy expression on his face.

"How long have you liked her?" Star asked.

"Since I was four." Marco stated this as a well-rehearsed fact. Star sighed. Poor Marco.

"Uh, Marco?" she asked. Marco looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Um, I just talked to Jackie and she-"

"Starship?"

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading and don't hesitate to leave a review!**

 **~Misfortune**


	6. Arguments

**I must admit, Starship is an adorable name. If Tom was a more likeable character, I'd change this to Star/Tom and pair them up, all because of Starship. Actually, I wouldn't. Anyway, this chapter is mostly a filler.**

 **SonicELITE: I hope so! Thank you.  
**

 **EVAunit42: I'm glad you caught that! I was hoping someone would. :) **

**LittleAmberAmythest: Thank you so much. That means a lot. **

**Here's chapter 8.**

* * *

"Starship?" came Tom's voice. Star turned to see the prince, looking a little protective. She rolled her eyes.

"Tom, I have told you a million times not to call me Starship!"

"It suits you," he said. Star glared at him, then turned back to Marco.

"This plane. Are we going or not?"

Marco nodded. "Let's go."

After taking a taxi to the airport, Marco showed an odd badge to the authorities, who let them into a separate room. From there they boarded the plane.

"So are you a pilot?" Star asked. Marco nodded wordlessly. Star smiled.

"Cool."

"You might want to sit down. We'll be taking off soon."

Star just nodded and went back to take her seat.

 _-Linebreak-_

They were in the air. Tom was reading a magazine while Star was staring out the window. Tom watched her out of the corner of his eye.

Star breathed out in awe, then drew a smiley face on the condensation she had created. Suddenly it hit him.

"You've never left Echo Creek, aside from that time I took you to the castle, have you?" he asked. Star eyed him warily. "And what if I haven't?"

"Well, a girl like you should get out more often." Tom said, closing the magazine.

Star snorted. "I'll try to remember that. Where should we go next, the Amazon? And would that be before or after we find your parents?"

"Well, I heard Paris is very romantic this time of year." Tom stood up. Star turned to face him, also standing up.

"Not interested, remember?"

Tom took a few steps closer.

"Why not, Butterfly? Why did you even break up with me?"

"You know exactly why, Tom," Star spat. "You're lucky I've agreed to help you out with this case."

"It was only expected. It is your job, after all." Tom sighed.

"Still doesn't answer my question. Why would a pretty girl like you, break up with a guy like me?"

"You just answered your own question. I broke up with you _because_ you're a guy like you. What you did was unforgiveable."

"What did I do, Starship?"

"Don't call me Starship."

"Why not?"

Tom had gotten even closer, so Star slid away and stood by the table of magazines.

"I don't want to think about the past, okay? We're done."

Tom blinked, turning back around to look at her.

"Butterfly-"

"Stop!" Star exclaimed. "Can't you call me by my real name even once? Why do you even call me Starship? We're over."

"It suits you," Tom said again, sitting down. They had changed spots now; Star was where Tom had been and now Tom was in front of the window.

Star shook her head. "Forget it," she said.

"I could never forget you," Tom said with a wink.

Star let out an exasperated groan. "Just leave me alone."

She picked up a magazine, ignoring the fact that he was staring two holes into her head.

She absentmindedly picked up another magazine, her blue eyes still fixed on the one she was reading.

Star tossed the second magazine to Tom, the pages fluttering wildly. It landed at his feet.

"What's this for, Butterfly?"

"It's a three-hour flight. You might want to get comfortable."

"I could be sat upon by an elephant, but if you were there I'd feel perfectly fine."

Star fumed quietly. But what could she do?

* * *

 **Well... that took forever.**

 **I do not own Star vs The Forces of Evil or any of it's characters.**

 **~Misfortune**


End file.
